


precious little wings

by kaminarikyouka



Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Manipulation, Fairy Choi Beomgyu, Fairy Huening Kai, Humor, I still don't know how to tag HELP, M/M, Prince Huening Kai, Sorcerer Kang Taehyun, i don't actually know if this is still angst, i'm not good at making angst smh, this is why i don't write angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-06
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:08:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,688
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27420217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaminarikyouka/pseuds/kaminarikyouka
Summary: Wings are important to them. It was important as breathing. Wings represent their race, the beauty of fairies. A fairy without wings was considered a human, a part of the inferior race.Protect your little wings.
Relationships: Choi Beomgyu & Huening Kai, Huening Kai/Kang Taehyun
Kudos: 11





	precious little wings

**Author's Note:**

> i tried, really, but i guess this is what happens when I try to write angst at 1 AM when I can't really understand how angst works

Rapid footsteps echoed around the empty hallway as a black-haired male sprinted towards the guards. "Has anybody seen the prince?" He panted. The guards shook their heads, letting the male know that they were only ordered to guard the palace, not the prince. With a groan, the male dashed away again, looking for the missing prince.

Beomgyu panted and ruffled his hair. He was only looking away for a second, taking care of some matters that needed to be taken care of, and just like that, the prince had disappeared from his sight. The elders will probably punish him for his carelessness, given that he was supposed to be around Kai at all times as his advisor and teacher. Who knew that taking care of such a brat is hard? He didn't even know why he agreed to teach him about his duties as the prince of fairies.

"Oh, for fuck's sake," He muttered to himself as he remembered that he has his wings. Turning around a corner, he ran towards an open window and jumped through it, summoning his wings as it fluttered into appearance behind him. He soared through the sky, the night breeze messing his hair. However, he had no time to care about his hairstyle, as of now, Prince Kai is still _missing_. He flew through the air, hoping to see Kai flying somewhere so he can take him back to the palace and give him an earful for leaving without his supervision. _That brat is so gonna get it._

Unbeknownst to him, Prince Kai had learned all tactics that Beomgyu used so here he was, crouching in the bushes inside the forest near the palace. He giggled to himself, he loved seeing Beomgyu panicking at his disappearance. Ever since he was a young fairy, Kai always had a habit of annoying everyone that lived. He played pranks on little kids, he sabotaged the workers' jobs whenever he had a chance. Beomgyu was just one of his unwilling victims. 

Steeling himself, he walked further inside the forest, still focused on annoying his advisor, not knowing that it was going to change his life forever.

♪♪

Taehyun pulled his hood further in front of him, covering his eyes as he tried to navigate between the sea of people blocking his way. He huffed in irritation as a man tried to stop him by grabbing his arm (he must've thought he was a girl). He turned around and pressed two fingers on the man's forehead, instantly sending him off to sleep. 

He could've killed this man if he wants to. I mean, he'd done it before. As a sorcerer, he was quite known for his astounding talent in magic. Everyone in his village flocked to him whenever they needed his skills. He always did bad things for others, such as killing, kidnapping, even torturing. He used his talent in such a horrible way, that even fate had enough and decided to do something about him.

In one of his missions, he was too arrogant. He believed that no one could ever stop him from wreaking havoc, unfortunately, that arrogance had caused his downfall. One of his targets was also a sorcerer who had far more experience than Taehyun himself. Before he could even kill him, he was struck with a curse that increases pain tenfold.

At first, he didn't know what curse was inflicted on him. But when he was in the kitchen, he accidentally cut himself while chopping an onion. He expected pain. But what he didn't expect was the amount of it. It was everywhere, he could feel so much pain equivalent to the amount of pain someone could feel if they were stabbed. But he only cut his finger.

Since then, he believed that this was his karma. For killing numerous innocent lives just for recognition. He's currently on a journey of redemption, he wanted to pay fr his crimes, and he also wanted to remove the curse on him.

He was mulling so much over the past events that he barely realized that he was in front of a forest. He didn't know why, but finding this forest had irked him in some way. He's Taehyun. He knew everything, from the places around the globe to the number of moles located in one's body. It's strange in a way, he'd never seen this forest before.

With a shrug, he entered the forest, hoping to find something that would help him reverse his curse.

♪♪

"Wow..." Taehyun looked around, wide-eyed at the beauty that this forest possessed. It's magical, in some way, nothing like the dead forests he always ignored in the past. They're glinting like they're reflecting the rays of the moonlight that passed through the forest.

Even though this is a magical forest, he shouldn't have been too trustful, because the moment he let his guard down, something big bumped into him, which resulted in an unceremonious way of faceplanting the dirt. Taehyun grunted, pushing off whoever is top of him, and immediately stood up, removing mud from his red hair. So much for changing colors. "Are you really not looking where you're going?" He grumbled, dusting splatters of mud on his clothes. 

When he didn't get a response, he looked up, curiosity burning in his mind. As soon as he did, he was met face-to-face with the most beautiful person he'd seen. He had light brown hair, with golden accessories decorating it. The guy's sparkling brown eyes stared back at his blue ones, slowly widening in awe at how pretty this guy is. The guy's eyes widened too. _Is he entranced by my features too--_

"Where are your wings?!" The guy in front of him shrieked, which brought a frown to Taehyun's face. _Okay, he's loud._

"Last time I checked, I'm not a fairy. So why on earth are you asking me about wings?" Taehyun spoke back. He soon realized why: this guy in front of him had wings and is probably experiencing the first time seeing someone without it.

The guy's mouth shaped into an 'O'. With a curious look, he approached Taehyun, who took a step back at the sudden movement. This guy probably had no social experiences, he ignored Taehyun's uncomfortable posture and continued on inspecting Taehyun like he was a new specimen. Taehyun was about to speak up but was interrupted by a gasp from the stranger. "Wow, you really don't have wings! It's my first time seeing a non-fairy before!"

 _Non-fairy...?_ "That's racist." Taehyun piped up and pointed out the mistake this guy had made.

"Oops, my bad," The stranger replied unapologetically. He stared at the sorcerer for a few seconds, before walking towards a bush full of flowers, leaving Taehyun surprised. _Did he really just--_ Before he could start spewing curses from his lips, he felt something was placed above his head (he noticed that his hood was not covering his head anymore). He patted around his hair, trying to feel what was placed on it. He plucked something from it, staring at it in curiosity. _A daisy?_

"It's a flower crown made of daisies!" The stranger answered from behind him the question he was about to ask. Taehyun grabbed the whole ring of flowers, staring at it in wonder. "Whenever a fairy visitor comes into our land, we always place flower crowns on their heads."

"But I'm not a fairy." Taehyun was quick to reply.

"Does it even matter? You're a visitor anyway." The stranger giggled and stood in front of him again, stretching his hand towards him. "I'm Kai, the Prince of Fairies. Who are you?"

Taehyun stared at the hand and back at the ring of flowers. Without a second thought, he placed the flowers back on his head and accepted Kai's outstretched hand. "I'm Taehyun. Nice to meet you." He gave the prince a soft smile.

♪♪

There's something in Taehyun that caught Kai's attention. This was his first time meeting someone who's not a fairy (they were not allowed to go to the human world). Naturally, it sparked millions of questions within him. How do they travel if they can't fly? How is it like living without wings? But it appeared to him that he didn't really care about the answers to those questions.

As soon as they met each other three weeks ago, an angry Beomgyu had caught the wandering prince. Kai remembered how he looked that day: smoke was practically coming out of his nostrils in anger. Kai still had the nerve to laugh at his advisor's unfortunate situation. 

When Beomgyu landed his eyes on the male beside him was when all Kai's snickers turned into nothing. "... A human." Beomgyu hissed. He moved his hand in quick successions and in no time at all, Taehyun was wrapped with vines, preventing him from making a move. The advisor whirled towards the prince. "Are you crazy?! Bringing a human in here? Don't you know how dangerous it was?!"

"Gyu--"

"I've had enough of your tactics. Sure, pranks and your disappearing acts are fine by me," Beomgyu's eyes glistened with anger. "But bringing a human? That's a new low, Kai Kamal Huening!" The prince winced at hearing his full name from Beomgyu's lips.

"What's wrong with humans? He didn't even do anything bad to me--"

Once again, the prince was interrupted. "He's a _human_ , Kai. Things are going to be bad sooner or later. He might kill you. He might kill all of us! Or worse," Beomgyu glared at the human wriggling in his binds. "He might take our wings."

Wings are important to them. It was as important as breathing. Wings represent their race, the beauty of fairies. A fairy without wings was considered a human, a part of the inferior race. "Yeah, right," Kai scoffed and with a swipe of his hand, the vines that bound Taehyun had disappeared, dropping him to the mud again. "He wouldn't do that."

Beomgyu rolled his eyes. "Fine. He can stay. He knows where we are located now anyway. If anything happens while he's here, I'll make sure you get punished for it. But now," A weary sigh escaped the advisor's lips. Kai noticed how tired Beomgyu was, and wondered if he was the cause of it. "I'll talk to the elders for you." A squeal escaped from the prince and he hugged Beomgyu, almost crushing him in his excitement. He'll go easy on Beomgyu this year, it seems. 

"Protect your little wings," Beomgyu whispered to the prince, still not trusting the human.

After that certain incident, Beomgyu had told Taehyun to act as Kai's bodyguard for now, since he had to make himself useful in some way, and there was no way the advisor would just allow the human to 'roam free'.

Taehyun yawned. Here he was, standing beside the door, staring at Kai who was studying. "If I knew being your bodyguard was this boring, I would've allowed Beomgyu to expel me that day." He mumbled, unfortunately for him, Kai's a fairy, and with his wings comes a sharp hearing. He directed a glare towards the human, but soon after, even his glare had changed into a whine.

"I know! That's why I don't want to study--so boring." Kai pushed the learning materials away and stood up from his seat, walking towards the open window in his bedroom. He stared at the bright blue sky, it looks so enticing, it's pulling him in. Suddenly, an idea entered his mind. "Do you want to play tag?" He asked the human who was caught off-guard at his unusual question.

"Tag...?" Taehyun raised an eyebrow. He promised Beomgyu that he would guard Kai all day... Perhaps playing tag with the prince can be considered as guarding? "Sure, as long as it wasn't boring."

Kai's lips curled into an evil grin. "Let's make a twist." At Taehyun's nod of approval, he continued. "If you managed to catch me within a day, then I'll do everything you want." The sorcerer's eyes snapped open at the deal. Kai cackled and dashed outside the room. "Come catch me!" He taunted, voice echoing in the hallway outside. The human cursed and immediately ran outside as well.

Kai laughed and sped up, even more, passing the unfortunate advisor whose papers he was holding flew onto his face. "Kai Kamal Huening!" Beomgyu shouted in rage. Just as he was about to chase after the mischievous prince, another figure sprinted past him, going as far as to bump into the poor advisor, spoiling the papers even more. "Taehyun!" Now Beomgyu was red in anger as he shouted after the human.

Both Kai's and Taehyun's laughs had echoed around the palace. The maids hid in closets, closing the doors quickly. The butlers stayed in the kitchen. All of them knew what the laugh was: Kai is out to play. 

While everyone either is hiding or raging (in the case of poor Beomgyu), the two of them are having fun. For Kai, it was thrilling. He had always wanted to have someone who can play or join his crazy antics, not just someone who saw him as the 'Prince of Fairies'. For Taehyun, it was the first time he felt happy. Because of his sorcerer status, he was actually prisoned in his own alter ego. He didn't want to be the best sorcerer, he only wanted to be himself. For the first time in their lives, Kai and Taehyun felt free.

They kept running, even reaching the forest where they first met. Even as mud splattered all over their clothes (thank god it was not Taehyun's hair this time, he had enough of changing colors, it's now blond), they kept running and running, not knowing what happens when they cross to the other side of the forest.

They pushed branches away from their way, kept on running and running until a bright white light blinded the both of them. Having caught off-guard, Kai tripped. Taehyun tripped on Kai's body and fell on top of him. Both of them looked at each other with the same question on their minds. _What happened...?_

Taehyun stood up first, lending a hand to the prince below. As soon as they both stood up, Kai stared in awe at the scenery in front of him. Humans _(humans!)_ were everywhere. There are kids playing on the ground, the others eating inside a restaurant, and some are just casually walking down the street filled with shops. Remembering Beomgyu's warning, Taehyun hastily pulled Kai back as he was about to walk to one of the booths.

"Let's go back," Taehyun told the awestruck prince and tried to pull him back inside the safe confines of the forest. However, Kai didn't budge. It was as if he's... entranced. 

Kai sucked in a breath. Taehyun massaged his temples. _Here it is._ "Can we go there? Can we go there? Or how about there?" Taehyun covered the prince's mouth with his other hand that wasn't gripping Kai's arm. 

"Listen, we'll go back," Taehyun's tone of voice left no further objections behind. Kai was about to protest. He wanted to explore more, but Taehyun shook his head. "We'll ask Beomgyu for permission first."

♪♪

"Absolutely not." Was the reply of the red-faced advisor to the two teens sitting in front of him in his office. Kai stood, ready to complain, but Beomgyu held his hand up, interrupting him. "No, non, nein, nei, nyet..." Beomgyu continued to spew variations of the word 'no' in 50 languages.

"Please!" Kai interjected. He walked closer to the advisor and gave him the best puppy eyes he had.

Beomgyu faltered, tips of his ears reddening. "Fine, I'll tell the elders. You can go one week later." The advisor spewed curses in different languages as soon as he heard Taehyun's and Kai's shout of victory.

♪♪

"Hey, what's she called?" Kai asked Taehyun beside him as the prince pointed unceremoniously at the fortune teller in front of them. The sorcerer slapped his hand down. They were back at the town they saw a week ago, and in order to prepare for it, they hid Kai's wings behind Taehyun's hoodie.

"Pointing fingers at other people is rude," Taehyun huffed and gave the fortune teller a quick apology. "She's a fortune teller, she can answer anything you ask."

Kai slowly looked at the sorcerer beside him, grin widening. "Everything?" Taehyun nodded, but as soon as he did, Kai had already approached the woman.

"Hey, old lady," Taehyun facepalmed at Kai's rude way of asking. "Do you know who my true love is?"

The question caught the sorcerer off-guard. He had expected Kai to ask something on the lines of 'do you know what other pranks I could make', not about love. But as soon as he stared at Kai's face, it was then he knew that this prince had yearned for love, like him.

The old lady ignore Kai's rude way of asking and shuffled some cards on the table. A moment later, she ordered the prince to pick one card and give it to her. As soon as she saw the card, she smiled wryly. "My, it seems you have met who your true love already."

Taehyun's heartbeat began to quicken as he stared at Kai's approaching form. "D-Did..." He cleared his throat. "Did she tell you who it is?"

"No, she didn't, unfortunately." Kai pouted and walked away, Taehyun following him. "But she said it's someone I already met." The sorcerer looked down, cheeks burning red.

Hoping to find a distraction, Taehyun looked around. As soon as he saw what he was looking for, he quickly dragged Kai towards it, the latter protesting. "Here!" Taehyun cheered, both of them standing in front of a boutique. The sorcerer didn't even let him talk, he dragged him inside, showing him outfits that the fairy had barely understood.

In the end, he gave Kai a fluffy white [jacket](https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/H2f08642ddd30419ab14089b8aad96308m/Plus-Size-Pink-Furry-Faux-Fur-Hoodie-Coat-Women-White-Warm-Long-Sleeve-Outerwear-Winter-Fluffy.jpg) that suited his appearance and almost looks like just the same as his wings, so they can be camouflaged. "Why are you giving me this?" Kai asked.

"Well, you gave me a flower crown the moment I entered your place." Taehyun shrugged as they walked down the street, going back inside the forest. "So I'll give you that jacket, as a welcome gift to the human world."

They entered the magical forest at the same time as Kai gave the former a serene smile. "Thank you." He softly whispered, letting the bright light wash their bodies, allowing them to enter the forest again.

♪♪

Taehyun woke up to sweat dripping down his face. He didn't know why he suddenly woke up in the middle of the night, but this isn't the first time it happened. As a sorcerer (and a former mercenary), he trained himself to be a light sleeper. He can wake up easily in the middle of the night if there's something moving within a radius.

And right now, someone is moving.

Readying his spells, he slowly walked out of his room into the empty hallway, looking everywhere in case of an ambush. Before he could take another step, a loud wail of agony echoed through the whole castle.

His blood ran cold. He knew that voice.

Without even hesitating, he ran towards the prince's room, ready to attack the intruder who dared hurt the prince he was guarding under. But it was too late because as soon as he entered Kai's room, he was met with the rusty smell of blood. He stared in horror at the red liquid that decorated every inch of Kai's bed. He endured the smell and the sight of it, but he can't stop the dread he felt when he found out where the blood came from.

Kai's back. Choking on air, Taehyun slowly approached Kai's limp body on the mattress, almost retching out when he saw the two long wounds on the prince's back where his wings are supposed to be.

The doors slammed open to reveal Beomgyu and multiple guards behind him, ready for an attack, only to see Taehyun standing in front of Kai's bloodied body. 

"Well, well, well..." Beomgyu spoke each word with venom. "Look what we have here."

♪♪

Kai opened his eyes, rubbing it. With a yawn, he tried to sit up from his bed, but he couldn't as he felt immense pain in his back when he tried to sit. He was close to having a panic attack when his trusty advisor entered the room, worry visible in his eyes.

"Kai. Are you okay?" Beomgyu asked serenely, eyebrows furrowing when he noticed Kai's pained face. "What's wrong?"

"My back..." Kai spoke with pain in each syllable. This was even worse than the time he bumped into a tree. 

"Oh, your back?" Beomgyu giggled. "Your wings are gone, that's why."

The prince felt like his world stopped. With a shaky breath, he feared for the worst. "What?"

"You have no wings anymore, poor prince." Beomgyu clicked his tongue. "Your precious 'Taehyun' had ripped it out of you. I saw it that night. He reduced you into a mere _human_." Each of his words was spoken with mockery. "I told you, didn't I? Humans are bad. They're greedy. Look what he did to your precious wings..." The advisor cooed, enjoying the panic on Kai's face as the prince tried to pat his back, wishing that it was all a lie. "Poor, poor, prince..."

"It's not him," Kai replied with a determined voice as his advisor flinched back. "I knew him. I knew Taehyun, he wouldn't do this--"

"Oh, did you, now?" Beomgyu gripped Kai's chin harshly. "I told you not to trust that human. He might not have been the one who did it, but he's the one reason why your wings are gone. Your mistake brought countless more mistakes, and fate brought your mistake back to you, ripping your wings as a reminder to wake up. Wake up, Kai. He's not the one who you should trust."

"Then who?" Kai countered the former's statement. " _You?_ "

"Yourself." Beomgyu sighed and walked away from the prince's bed. "He's waiting outside the forest." He told him with a sardonic smile and left the room.

Even with great difficulty, Kai managed to stand up from the bed he was on. He staggered outside the palace, ignoring the small bursts of pain he felt in his back. After an hour, he reached the human side, eyes looking everywhere to look for Taehyun.

Instead of seeing the male, he saw something else. Something that made his insides twist with disgust and anger all in one.

♪♪

"What did you tell him?" Taehyun asked from his cell as he glared at the fairy advisor.

"What did I tell him? What he needs to do." Beomgyu answered mystically, sitting crossed-leg on a stool nearby. "As of this moment, he's now doing his job as a human. To bring violence, to bring pain--"

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Taehyun growled from his cell. "Kai's a fairy. And us humans didn't do violence or pain."

"Really, Taehyun the Sorcerer?" The blond kept his mouth shut, yet his glare speaks volumes. "Who killed numerous innocent people? Isn't it you?" Beomgyu smirked when he found out that he finally kept this human's mouth shut. "As for Kai, he didn't have his wings anymore. And according to the law, a fairy with no wings can't be considered a fairy. I was surprised he was one in the first place. With his personality... no wonder you two have a friendship."

Taehyun glared at the fairy, hands clenched into fists. Beomgyu glanced at the sun outside and snapped his fingers. In one snap, the cell door opened, giving Taehyun a way out. "He's waiting outside the forest." The advisor told him innocently, yet the evil glint in his eyes speaks otherwise.

Without even glancing at the fairy, Taehyun the Sorcerer sprinted out of the fairy realm, determined to stop Kai from whatever Beomgyu had ordered him to do. _Almost there!_ He grinned as he finally reached the outskirts of the forest, expecting to see Kai waiting for him. But he didn't expect to see multiple bodies, humans and fairies alike, all scattered around the street. What was once a lively place has turned into a ghost town.

"Kai...?" Taehyun mumbled, staring at the only one left standing. The figure turned to look at him, and there he saw the same sparkly eyes that Kai possessed.

"Taehyun. You're here." Kai answered in a monotonous way. He took a step forward, yet the sorcerer took a step backward, eyes widened at Kai's figure. The fairy was drenched in blood.

"What did you do?" Somehow, Taehyun knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it from Kai himself.

Kai's sparkly brown eyes adapted into crazier ones. "What did I do? What did I do?!" He shrieked. He pointed towards the fallen humans. "Why don't you ask what they did! I saw it! The way they ripped wings out of my fellow fairies, just like how they did mine! They didn't even listen to their pleas! Humans are greedy, they bring violence and pain wherever they go!" Taehyun had tears streaming down his cheeks. Kai was reduced to a vengeful person, just because of his own loss. 

"Beomgyu was right! All humans are the same! All of them are..." Kai broke down into sobs. "But you're different, Taehyun. That's what Beomgyu didn't know." The sorcerer slowly moved backward as the deranged fairy took a step towards him. "You'll help me, right? We'll purge this world of humans, then there would be no violence anymore!" The prince was now mumbling onto himself as if he's trying to convince himself that it was the right thing.

"No." Taehyun glared at the fairy. "Even if we killed every human, who can say that violence has really disappeared? When you're the one who caused it in the first place! Stop this nonsense, Kai Kamal Huening!"

The fairy stopped in his tracks and remembered what Beomgyu told him. "That's how it is." He muttered, eyes dilating. "The only one I can really trust is myself." With a snap of his fingers, vines appeared around them as they sped towards Taehyun. The sorcerer didn't waste time and quickly grabbed a daisy. It is the only thing he had with him. Channeling a little bit of magic in it, he used the flower as a weapon to protect himself against Kai's attacks.

He only wanted to protect himself. 

_The only one I can really trust is myself._

The stem of the daisy pierced through the body of the fairy prince, coating the daisy in a vibrant shade of red. Kai stared at the growing blood spot on his chest and smiled at Taehyun, before falling into a deep slumber--one where he can't wake up anymore.

Taehyun heaved breaths and stared at the body of Kai. As each second passes, the realization sinks in--Kai's dead. He killed Kai. 

He almost tripped in his hurry--he kneeled next to the body of the prince, pressing his ear down the chest area. No heartbeat. 

_Fuck..._ A wail of agony escaped the sorcerer's lips as he tried every possible way to wake Kai up--but to no avail. "Wake up, you brat...! You said you'd do whatever I want once I caught you, right? I caught you before, you can't escape on the deal! Kai Kamal Huening!" No response from the prince. He hugged Kai's body, crying into the fairy's shoulder.

The red daisy floated to the ground nearby. The ones Kai used to make a crown for the new arrival before... was the very same one Taehyun used to say goodbye.

♪♪ 

"It really is easy to control, someone's emotions." Beomgyu stared at the delightful scenery outside: where Taehyun was kneeling by the prince's body. Toto squawked in agreement. The advisor chuckled, walking back inside the palace.

"That's why the only one you should trust is yourself and no one else." He muttered, opening the closet where he stored it safely.

Kai's precious little wings.

**Author's Note:**

> me earlier: alright! i finally made a perfect plotline for my angst!
> 
> me after finishing this: wtf just happened
> 
> someone told me angst was about making readers cry
> 
> i didn't know how to write angst, so it ended up like this wtf (the fruits of my procrastination)
> 
> ps. i promised someone I'll write angst but it turned into this (wth happened to you, self)


End file.
